Avatar: Reincarnated
by xkuroxnekox
Summary: Over forty years after Sozin's War, Aang vanishes. The Sages and his friends keep it a secret. Sixteen years have passed and now the story follows four original characters for whom the world has bigger plans. Please Review!
1. Chapter One: Missing

Avatar: Reincarnated

Book One: Water

Chapter One: Missing

The mountain air refreshed the Avatar after his long day of meetings. The night brought with it calm and quiet – a peace he hadn't had in a long time. He should be relieved though. In over thirty years, – personal problems aside – he hadn't been faced with a threat as serious as Sozin's War.

There were of course the minor riots – a few fire benders here and there who weren't so accepting of their new Fire Lord. Some Dai Lee agents stirred up trouble every now and then, but nothing serious. Usually just the typical riff-raff – thieves, pirates, etc.

The average citizen experienced nothing but peace.

Aang was a little jealous. This was one of the few moments he felt at ease, staring off into empty space, a still and starless night.

Almost _too_ still.

Aang leapt from the roof of the Southern Air Temple and bent the air around him, gliding smoothly to the balcony below.

Right on cue, a man stumbled into the last air bender's view. Judging by his heavy, blue coat, he was from the Southern Water Tribe. The white markings on the sleeves told Avatar Aang he was a warrior. The man's face was blocked by the thick, wooly hood. He tripped, falling flat on his face at Aang's feet.

"Sokka?" the Avatar asked hesitantly.

A muffled, "No," was the reply as the man looked up. The man was about ten years younger than Sokka, but he looked ten years older. His face was prematurely wrinkled and deep blue eyes reflected trepidation. He had clearly traveled all the way from the Southern Water Tribe with a purpose.

"My name is Hikalu," the man said, struggling to his feet and breathing hard. "I need your help, Avatar Aang."

"Hikalu… Do I know you?" The newcomer's blue eyes, dark skin and even darker hair were somehow very familiar.

"No, sir, but you may know my father… He was just a toddler when Sokka and… when Sokka found you in the iceberg."

Aang nodded his bald head. So the man was familiar with… the _incident_.

"What brought you all this way?" he asked after a moment.

"My wife is missing."

"I understand." Aang said immediately. "I'll find her. Tell me everything you know about her disappearance inside. You look exhausted." Aang could relate to Hikalu's problem all too well.

They made themselves more comfortable deeper inside the temple and some color returned to the Avatar's guest and he handed the Avatar a picture of Loki.

"I'm not sure what happened. I was at work, hunting, and when I returned home, my wife was gone. There were no signs of a struggle, nor were there any footprints in the snow…"

"Does your wife have any enemies?"

"No, no! There is no one who would want to hurt my gentle Loki… but there's something else you should know… Loki is pregnant." The man's voice faltered and he paused.

"How far along is she?"

"Nine months. She could have the baby any second! It took me a week to get here – she could have already… How could I let this happen?"

Aang placed a tattooed hand reassuringly on the warrior's shoulder. "I will do everything in my power to bring your wife safely back to you. Wait for me here. I can notify you by way of the Air Sanctuary."

"But—!"

Too late, the Avatar was gone.

The gilder from The Mechanist could only store so much food. On the third day of Aang's flight, he finally had to stop for a decent meal and rest. Hoping to go unnoticed, he slipped quietly into an almost hidden tavern. Despite the late hour, the room was full of other travelers. Judging by their clothes, many of them were pirates and thieves.

No one took notice of Aang as he sat at a table away from the light. From his view of the room, he could watch most of the other guests. Not until after he had ordered and eaten most of his vegetarian lettuce wraps did he notice there was another table behind him – one veiled by an even thicker darkness.

It was not so much the hushed voices that drew his attention, but more what the voices were discussing.

Three men, two women. All pirates. They'd just sold the last of their slaves – women they had kidnapped.

Women with infants.

It took all of Aang's self control to stay in his seat. He only realized he'd frozen with the last of his lettuce wrap halfway to his mouth when the captain stopped talking. Recovering quickly, he shoved the rest of his late dinner (or was it breakfast?) in his mouth, faking nonchalance.

The pirates commented on their meal, then left. Aang waited until the door closed behind them before following.

Outside, only a few paces behind his query, the Avatar realized it was afternoon. The thick grey clouds completely covered the sky, making it look later than it really was.

A storm was coming.

At the entrance to the harbor, Aang stopped. Once he knew which ship the pirates were boarding, he headed in the opposite direction. The pirates were already suspicious of him; he would lose them if he wasn't careful. He'd follow them in the air and make his move when they were out to sea; too far from backup.

Their ship was small and fast; it wasn't long before the shoreline was nothing more than just that - a line in the distance. Bending the moisture from surrounding clouds, Aang could follow closely while remaining unseen. Just a few minutes after leaving shore, large water droplets began splashing against Aang's head. The soggy state of his clothes tempted the Avatar into attacking sooner than he'd planned.

The ship had just changed course, now heading toward the Fire Nation instead of the Earth Kingdom. The storm turned the sea choppy, allowing Aang to sneak onboard unnoticed under the cover of an unnaturally made wave. Three deck hands washed overboard, clearing his path to the cabin door. Inside, the long hallway was dimly lit by torches on either side of doors that led to quarters.

He didn't need to look in the windows to know which door was the right one. Children's cries led him down the hall and around the corner…

…Straight into seven angry pirates.

Hikalu stared after the Avatar for a few minutes before he was able to move from the spot. He prayed he wasn't too late. _Poor Loki._

After gathering some food from the trees outside for himself, and for the creatures he would inevitably encounter, he began searching for the Air Sanctuary.

It wasn't difficult to find. The Avatar had thankfully left tall doors open. Hikalu wouldn't be able to get inside otherwise, as Avatar Aang was the last of the air benders, and air bending was the only key.

For the first time since Loki had vanished, Hikalu worried about the future of their world. If there were no air benders left, the Avatar Cycle would be broken. The world only had three more generations of Avatars after Avatar Aang. Would his great-great grandchildren live in a world protected by the Avatar, or would they be left to fend for themselves?

Hikalu took another step toward the Air Sanctuary, before a giant furry monster landed in his path with a deafening roar.

Smiling reassuringly, Hikalu held out a large melon toward the last sky bison. Appa sniffed it before opening his mouth for the guest to throw in.

Momo dived at Hikalu's head, screeching angrily.

"Don't worry," he called, chuckling. "I have some for you, too, Momo." The man from the Southern Water Tribe held out a few moon-peaches for the flying lemur. He was pleased to be in the presence of such amazing creatures, and thankful their lifespan outlasted humans'.

Reluctantly, the flying bison moved aside to let the guest inside the sacred Air Sanctuary.

As soon as he entered the room, Hikalu felt a drastic difference in the atmosphere. It was a strange stillness, calm and peaceful, yet eerie at the same time. Regardless, the Sanctuary was nothing short of amazing. For a few minutes, all he could do was stare in awe at the face of every Avatar since the beginning of time.

Feeling insignificant, Hikalu woke from his reverie and began unpacking his sleeping bag and other supplies. It was difficult for him to remain in one spot for so long while the Avatar was looking for Loki alone. He desperately wanted to search for her, but there was nothing he could do.

He sat alone, staring at the empty place where Avatar Aang's statue would someday be, waiting for news.

The three of the pirates who could bend earth launched hard pebbles in Aang's direction.

Aang held his hands out, one on top of the other, palms out, blocking the shots. He compressed the pebbles together, making a larger bolder, which he aimed at the middle earth bender.

Aang's target dived out of the way, but the boulder nicked his shoulder before crashing through the ship's exterior. They were lower than Aang thought; water began spilling in through the hole.

He'd have to be more careful.

Aang let out a slow breath, lowering his hands toward the water flowing at their feet, freezing the pirates in place.

"Captain!" one of the frozen prisoners called. "It's the Avatar! What should we do?"

"Fight!" the captain ordered, drawing a long sword.

The captain had brought reinforcements from behind. It was now one against twenty. The fire bending crew members hurried to unthaw their fellow pirates while Aang used an old water bending trick, the Octopus. He easily knocked away and blocked every advance from the pirates.

However, defense wasn't the way to go this time. Especially since many of the pirates were reckless, and there were defenseless children nearby.

There was a flash of lightning, and suddenly Aang was far away.

"Roku! What's going on?" he demanded.

"I'm sorry, Aang. I'm afraid… your time as Avatar is up."

"_What?_ I'm in the middle of a battle! There's still so much I have to do, Roku! I can't just leave now! I'm only fifty-seven! Okay, that _is_ old, but compared to Bumi's one hundred and thirty years, that's nothing!"

"Actually, you're _one hundred_ and fifty-seven, Aang. If it were up to me, of course I'd let you stay, but it isn't. You have to accept your natural destiny, just like the rest of us. And you _will_ do more, Aang, when the cycle continues."

"Roku, I have to save these kids."

In another flash, and Aang was back on the pirate's ship, which was now falling apart. The captain and the five strongest crew members – a fire bender, a water bender, two archers and someone wielding a naginata – remained standing.

Aang ignored them. He pushed them away with a wave, freezing them to the wall, and ran into the children's room. Roku was nuts if he thought these pirates, skilled though some of them were, could defeat _him_, the Avatar.

Compressing the earth left behind by the earth benders, Aang created a granite-bottomed raft big enough for the children. Altogether, there were seven kids – four toddlers, two babies.

One of them looked new born, and the other baby wasn't moving…

Movement outside the cabin door told Aang he didn't have any time to waste. Using a strong gust of air, he blasted another hole through the ship and carefully placed the raft into the 

ocean. He stuck his glider on top for a makeshift sail and iced high walls to keep the kids from falling off.

The older baby still wasn't moving, but there was nothing Aang could do; he couldn't revive the dead.

They were far from the pirate ship now, but he could still make out the captain, watching him and his raft.

He tried to water bend the sea, attempting to make a calm path for the raft to travel by, but he was not more powerful than nature.

Suddenly, Aang remembered how Roku had died – defeated by nature, not by an enemy. The last air bender looked at the storm surrounding him.

So this was how it would end – beaten by the ocean. How ironic.

Aang closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they, along with his arrows were glowing. He gave everything he had into saving each child on that raft.

The sun poked through the clouds, and the baby began to squirm.


	2. Chapter Two: Sixteen Years Later

Avatar: Reincarnated

Book One: Water

Chapter Two: Sixteen Years Later

"Spirits, Kain, you are the worst fire bender in the history of _ever_!" one of the twins chuckled.

"We should say his name _Cane_, instead of _Kai-en_!" the other cackled. The first twin looked at his brother skeptically in response. "Uh, because it's like he's so old he can't bend, even a tiny flame?" the second attempted to explain.

"First of all," Kain hissed, attempting to keep every ounce of his focus on the small, warm flame in the palm of his hands. Unfortunately, his anger snuffed out the tiny golden fire. Again. "Age doesn't slow benders down. Ever heard of the Dragon of the West? How about the friggin' Fire Lord? And second – I don't need to fire bend to silence the both of you!" Kain's grey eyes flashed as he dove at the twins, knocking them easily over while he remained on his feet. One fist connected with a chin, the other was pulled back, poised and ready to—

"Boys, that's enough," Master Rin sighed. These fights were a daily occurrence. She might try harder to stop them, but those three all got on her nerves so often, she didn't care who beat up whom. Boys would be boys, and she couldn't change that. "Fire bending lessons are over today; go home." At least her other students were more practical – though, being a fire bending teacher in the Earth Kingdom, she didn't have too many others.

The twins stood and dusted themselves off in identical movements.

"That 'Dragon of the West' is a load of Fire Nation lore crap. Anyway, that was a long time ago. Just give up, Kain," the older of the two said, walking off.

His brother stuck his nose up at Kain, behind the teacher's back, before following.

"May I have my sword back now, Master Rin?" Kain mumbled grudgingly, because those were the only words Master Rin would accept. He'd bowed his head, attempting to avoid her eyes, but he was taller than her and she could still see into his face. She had taken his sword from him at the beginning of each lesson, afraid he might be tempted to frighten his fellow students with it. Or maybe because it let her control his behavior, make him more manageable.

She placed the heavy sheath into the boy's outstretched hands, palms toward the sky, without comment.

Once his prized possession, his only possession besides the clothes on his back, was safely in his hands, Kain visibly relaxed. His hand clasped the hilt and slid the blade slowly from its home, revealing only an inch of the weapon, as if to make sure it was really there. The black blade reflected back into his eyes, seeming to ignite something deep within him.

His master noticed.

"You are a very talented swordsman," she complimented him.

"I know." He turned to leave.

His teacher watched him, letting only a moment of silence pass.

"Kain, if you wanted to take private lessons—"

Sword now across his back, he whirled on her. "No!" he all but yelled. There was a fire in his eyes no one could deny. It startled even the master. "I will not hide!"

"I'm not asking you to hide!" she insisted, but there was resignation in her voice. "Just a few one-on-one lessons…" the end of her sentence died away as Kain disappeared around the rocky doorway.

**

_That's it,_ Kain thought violently. _I am so out of here_.

No more loser duo, no more teacher pity, no more being surrounded by stupid rocks. He was a fire bender; he should be in the Fire Nation. He could find a proper teacher there. Master Rin was alright, for the Earth Kingdom softies she taught. Well, he was no softie. He'd show them all what a _real_ fire bending master was capable of.

The only reason he hadn't left sooner was because he had no money for the ferry ride that carried people to and from the Fire Nation. He still didn't have any money, but he wasn't going to let that slow him down this time. He'd stolen before, but for much small necessities - food and clothes. For some reason, the thought of just taking _money _hadn't occurred to him.

He laughed at it now. It was such a simple solution, he should have thought of it earlier.

_ But where..? _

Kain ran his fingers through his dark, shaggy hair. It must have been nearly a year since he'd cut it.

His feet had been carrying through the town automatically. Now he realized where he was. Now that night had fallen, the circle was empty. The fountain was alight with candle flame, almost as bright as day. The fiery reflection in the water somehow calmed him.

He walked to the water's edge and pointed a finger at one of the candles. He could feel the tiny heartbeat as the flame became part of him. He moved his finger to the adjacent candle, and the fire split and jumped, following his movements.

Of course it'd work _now_, when no one was around.

Palm open, he swung his fist downward, and fifty heartbeats went out, taking their warmth and light with them.

Kain stayed in the darkness for only a few minutes before heading toward what he now referred to as his bank, but what the rest of the world referred to as the Earth Sanctuary.

**

The majority of the trip was spent climbing the winding path around the mountain to the temple at its peak.

Okay, so it was more of a hill, but it annoyed the stuffing out of Kain anyway. He glanced over the edge, toward the surface of the earth far below, then looked up at the temp. Finally, he was almost there. Now that he was thinking about it, the bump in the earth was too large to be a hill, but too small to be a mountain.

It had been made by earth benders. Figures.

Kain paused to dump the collection of rocks out of his shoes. A few stubborn ones fought to stay in between his toes. The winding path would have taken much longer to hike, so Kain had gone straight up the mountain. Hill. Thing. Walking the circumference of the last circular path was the best decision now.

At the top, there was a simple stone building with an angled green roof. Intricate carvings adorned the door frame and the open windows.

He ignored the fancy artwork that held no meaning for him, and invited himself inside.

The temple had looked plain on the outside, as if it were only one room. Once inside, this was obviously not the case.

Rooms filled the hollow hill. A narrow bridge led from the door to the square platform in the middle. On the far wall, there was a painting of several Avatars. Other than that, the room was empty. There were no people, nor was there anything of interest to Kain. He wanted to explore the edges of the room, to figure out how to get down to the rooms below, but the eyes of the Avatars held him in a brief trance.

He almost felt guilty taking from their stores of treasure.

Almost, but not quite.

After all, the Avatar was all about keeping the peace. If the Avatar wanted the loser twins in _one _piece, it was best for Kain to use some of the treasure.

He walked away from the painting, back to the middle of the bridge and looked down. Earth benders must have bent the stone walls to take them where they wanted. That didn't help the fire bender, but the cracks left from their wake did.

Kain made himself comfortable on the floor, tapping his foot impatiently as he went to work. Stretching, he pulled his sword of his back, but instead of unsheathing it, he fiddled with the hilt. It slid off effortlessly when Kain put pressure on the right spot, revealing a hook he'd added himself.

The hook didn't fit perfectly in the crack, but it was close enough. Plus, the fall wasn't that far.

If Kain didn't look down.

Luckily, it wasn't a straight drop. Another room would break his fall before he reached the bottom, but the fire bender would rather not take that risk.

Everything secure, he let go of the bridge, and held onto his sword for all he was worth.

Which, apparently, wasn't that much.

He'd made it past the first room on the left, which was the longest drop, but fell ungracefully to the floor of the second room.

Dust rose, choking him. Coughing and sputtering, he fought to regain his balance. Finally, the dust settled and his head stopped spinning.

Of course he'd hit his head.

Now he could see on what. He appeared to be in a dark and dusty library. There were dozens of bookcases (one of which had caused the lump on his head), all full of thick, dusty, leather spines, posters of maps on the walls, and a few desks here and there.

Boring.

But then a certain desk caught Kain's attention. It was dusty, but less so than the other ones. There were marks on the desk like paper had been there, and there was some writing. It was none of his business, but maybe it tied to the reason behind the absence of the Earth Sages.

Kain froze on the way to the desk. Silver eyes searched the floor. There were no recent footprints. No one had been in this room for years. Upstairs was only free of dust because the wind blew through the open windows.

Where were the sages? Why had they been gone so long? Why didn't anyone know about this?

And why did he care?

Unable to resist the strong pull of his curiosity, Kain walked over to the desk and studied where the layer of dust was the thinnest. A lot of the writing was smeared and hard to read, but he could decipher enough.

No sages, nor any friends of the Avatar had been able to contact him. They didn't know if he was gone, or just watching the world in secret. The sages were searching for him, or for the next Avatar. Everyone who knew the truth was keeping it secret. They didn't want an outbreak of crime or panic.

Because the Avatar had vanished sixteen years ago.

--

AN: my wonderful one reviewer mentioned that the next Avatar is a Waterbender. I just wanted to let y'all know that I always knew this and the next Avatar will be a Waterbender ;)


	3. Chapter Three: Encounter

Avatar: Reincarnated

Book One: Water

Chapter Three: Encounter

Kain had never given much thought to all things Avatar, and this didn't change now. So the world's only hope for peace, love, and hippies had vanished. Big deal. It's not like he was needed. Not that the world was all peaceful. Bandits and scum were everywhere, but the Avatar wasn't all-powerful. He couldn't appear wherever someone was up to no good and save the day every time. He couldn't eliminate evil from the world. Just like anyone else, the Avatar was limited.

Yeah, okay, he could save the nations from a world war, but the individuals still suffered.

Individuals like Kain's parents.

The inside of the temple, under the main room, had been like a maze. Luckily, the trails the Earth Sages had taken where visible through the dust. Kain followed the armored footprints – those that matched the shoe prints of a treasure guard.

Finally: the treasure room.

Kain pulled off his blood-red traveling cloak and the several small animal skin pouches inside it. He chose the pieces that would be the hardest to trace back to the temple and filled several sacks.

A thin band of silver and gold entwined around emeralds and diamonds caught his attention. It appeared to be a crown. Kain stared at it a moment more before packing it too. He wouldn't sell it; this would be just a little reminder.

***

Getting out was surprisingly easy, and getting down the outside of the temple was much easier than climbing up it, and soon Kain was finally on his way to the Fire Nation.

He tested how others would react to his stolen goods at a small inn his first night and no one seemed to notice or be suspicious.

Excellent.

The young traveler made it a week without any problems. He was in the former upper ring of Ba Sing Se. After the war, the inner walls of Ba Sing Se came down, and the citizens were treated more as equals, allowed to live wherever they pleased. This made it easier for Kain to navigate the city and find what he was looking for. It would take another week while he waited for his passport to be made. His old one was lost with his parents.

Luckily, the city's employees believed his story and accepted his money. He roamed the area of the city he was in, partially looking for some place to stay for a week, although he didn't want to spend more money at an inn, and partially enjoying the pleasant afternoon weather.

Dare he think it? Were things actually starting to look up?

From the expression on the face of the man who stood a few feet away from Kain, way off the designated path, the answer was a big, fat _no_.

"We got company," the bulky man in green called over his shoulder casually. "Just a pipsqueak. Nothin' I can't handle."

Well. Kain would see about that. He probably would have fought the man, who was obviously a bandit, anyway. The three men behind him had their backs to him, most likely doing something illegal. They would be next.

Kain loathed bandits.

And Kain was not a pipsqueak. He was tall, though not as tall as the earth bender in his way, but tall enough. And, though he wasn't as bulky as his challenger, his muscles were hard to miss. If Kain had wanted to be huge, he could have been. As it were, he preferred the agility that came with being lean. This is what would help him bring the earth bender down.

Without hesitation, he drew his sword while his opponent detached a big hammer from his belt.

In one motion, the earth bender connected the iron hammerhead with the rocks at his feet, which came at Kain in a wave of boulders.

As the earth rose below him, Kain used the force to leap at his opponent. The hilt of his sword connected with the man's forehead, and his enemy crashed to the ground like a rock.

Kain almost laughed at the irony, but the other bandits hadn't noticed their fallen friend. While he still had the opportunity, Kain cut through the belt of the man in the middle, both disarming his weapon and his money bags – full of stolen loot, no doubt.

The other bandits turned on him now. They looked from their unconscious comrade to Kain in surprise. He dove at them before their little brains had a chance to figure it out. He sliced one's treasure loose, but two managed to keep their weapons.

They swung their hammers wildly, panicked by Kain's quick movements. Apparently, their guard was the only bender among them. If they had been more benders, they could have slowed him down.

Kain sliced through the weak wood, separating the hammerhead from a bandit's hand. He dropped back, picked up his companion, and let the other two do the fighting.

A hammer connected with Kain's leg as his elbow connected with the bandit's face. Both men collapsed to the ground, growling in pain. The only opponent that remained standing swung his hammer down toward Kain.

Too slow.

Kain rolled quickly out of the way and onto his feet, careful to put more pressure on his good leg. His enemy missed his target and instead hit his comrade's weapon, which sunk deep into the ground. Its owner couldn't pull it out.

Meanwhile, the last bandit rushed Kain, who aimed a swing of the sword at his enemy's fighting arm.

The bandit dodged at the last second, but the black blade cut along the strap that held up the bandit's armor.

Kain didn't pause to assess the damage he'd done. He tackled the defenseless bandit to the ground and put his sword to his throat.

"Good match, but you lose. Leave your treasure and I'll let you live," Kain smirked.

The bandit he stood over was the only one who still had a bag of gold. He dropped it and Kain stepped back.

He didn't notice the girl until he'd gathered all of the bandits' lost loot.

He said, "Oh," when he finally saw her.

She appeared to be about his age, with long, dark brown hair, dark skin, and big blue eyes. She wore a light blue tunic top with diagonal collar, a thick, darker blue waistband, and dark blue pants. Her hair was down, showing she didn't care what people thought of her, and her expression was completely calm, as if she was used to being nearly kidnapped by bandits. She was wiggling out of the last of the ropes the bandits had been trying to tie around her when she noticed Kain was looking at her.

She smiled slowly when her blue eyes met his grey ones, and she leapt gracefully to her feet.

"My name is Klara," she told him as she walked to where he stood. He watched her cautiously, unsure of what to do.

She better not ask for a share of the gold.

They were now nearly nose to nose.

"Thank you for saving me," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck. He was too surprised to push her off. She kissed him on the cheek.

His face broke into a half-grin when she stepped back, still smiling at him.

"Now _that_ is the kind of undeserved hero-worship I could get used to," said Kain.

Her grin was now forced and frozen as she asked, "'Undeserved'?"

Kain laughed. "I didn't see you, until just then."

Klara wasn't smiling any more. "So you weren't saving me… and you just let me kiss you?!" she yelled.

"I didn't _let _you! " Kain retorted. "I was just standing here, minding my own business—"

"Your own business? You mean taking the bandits' loot?" she said, jabbing him in the chest with her finger. "Which, by the way, is just as crappy as stealing from innocent people; you're just letting the bandits do your dirty work for you so you can pretend there's nothing wrong with what you're doing!"

He smacked her hand away. "I am _not_ like those scumbags! And, even if I didn't plan on it, I still saved you! You owe me!"

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, whatever. I don't like being in anybody's debt and it would really suck to be in _your _debt. So I guess I owe you one act of kindness?"

_Technically_, Kain thought, _she owes me her life. _But that would mean having to be around her more, which definitely wasn't worth it, so he let her slide on that one.

Klara looked him up and down, studying the ragged state of his clothes and the exhaustion in his face. She wrinkled her nose. "When was the last time you had a bath?"

Was that her idea of kindness? "I bathe regularly," Kain growled.

"Like once a week regularly?"

"You know what? You can take your 'act of kindness' and shove it up your—"

"I just mean," she interrupted, "when was the last time you had a decent meal, or slept in a building?" _Instead of a barn? _she added mentally.

Kain stayed quiet for a moment. It had been awhile since he'd been part of civilized society. He held back on meals and had only stayed at an inn once or twice, not wanting to squander away all his money; he'd only taken just enough from the Earth Sanctuary.

"You suggesting I stay with _you_?" he finally asked. He'd rather sleep in an alley and not eat for a week.

"Spirits, no! But my aunt and uncle own an inn just up the road. You could probably stay there for a little bit." She shrugged.

That seemed acceptable and it gave him a decent place to stay until his passport would be ready.

"Okay," he said slowly, wondering if he would regret this decision. "Lead the way."

They started walking in silence. After a few minutes, Klara couldn't take it anymore.

"So…" she said slowly, throwing Kain a sideways glance. "You're traveling?"

He missed the silence already. "Yes," was all he said.

Klara frowned. "Is that all you're going to tell me? How about where did you come from? Where are you trying to go? Why did you leave? Where'd you get the sword?"

"Why do you care?" Kain asked, mimicking her tone. "Why were you out here in the middle of nowhere? Why did the bandits go after you?"

"Well, I'll answer if you'll answer. I was looking for—"

"I only asked all those questions to show you how annoying you were being," Kain muttered.

"—someone. The bandits just went after me because they could, same reason they go after anybody. Your turn."

Kain sighed and gave the shortest explanation he could. "I left the very outer rim of Ba Sing Se to look for a fire bending master to teach me fire bending."

"You're a fire bender? Why didn't you bend against the bandits?"

"They weren't benders, except the first guy. It wouldn't have been a fair fight." Kain shrugged. It had nothing to do with his lack of fire bending skill.

Klara stopped and stared at Kain, startled.

"What?" he asked, stopping as well.

"Uh, I just realized I never got your name," she said quickly.

They were back in the city now, surrounded by tall buildings, market places and people going about their daily businesses. Everyone seemed happy and carefree. They were all at ease because the Avatar had brought peace the world; they had nothing to worry about. Kain wondered how they would all feel if they knew what he knew. The Avatar they had put their faith in was long gone.

"My name is Kain," he told her.

"Kain," she repeated. "Are you a criminal, Kain? I don't want to cause problems for my aunt and uncle."

"No." At least, he'd never been caught. But he had no intention of stealing from her relatives. He'd be getting everything he needed for free, so stealing would just be stupid. And what was with the false note in her voice?

"Then here we are!" Klara gestured to the building they were standing in front of. It was like most buildings in the Earth Kingdom, made of earth. It was several stories and decorated with plants and artistic carvings to appear welcoming to guests.

Kain followed Klara inside to the lobby, where several people appeared to be waiting for her. There was a middle aged couple behind the desk, looking anxiously in their direction. A boy who appeared to be about twelve was watching a little girl play with her dolls.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind them, the room erupted into a chorus of _Klara, where have you been?_s, _We were so worried!_s and _You're an hour late!_

"Sorry!" Klara said over the noise. "I ran into some bandits, but Kain here helped me out. Long story short, nobody is hurt. Well, aside from the bandits."

Suddenly, the room went quiet and everyone stared at Kain. He stared back at them all one at a time. They all had the same peculiar look on their faces, even the toddler. The man had dark hair and skin that contrasted with his ice blue eyes. He was wearing a light blue tunic and dark blue pants, similar to Klara's. He was probably her blood relative, whereas his wife had married into her family. She had long dark hair that fell in waves over her silky green kimono. Her light green eyes bore into his, searching for something. The boy stared at Kain with dark green eyes. When Kain looked back at him, he turned to Klara.

"Is he..?" the boy asked slowly.

"No." Klara said quickly.

"Oh, thank you!" the woman breathed, hugging a very surprised Kain, and bringing the room back to life again. "How can we ever thank you enough?"

"Er, piece of cake…" Kain muttered, still taken aback. What had just happened?

"Actually, Aunt Hope, I was thinking that maybe he could stay here for a few days? He's traveling."

"I think that sounds possible. Yuuki," she said, turning to her son, "could you show Kain to the western room? Kain, is there anything you need?"

"Do you think I could get a bucket of ice?" His leg was still throbbing from the fight.

"Sure. Klara, could you make some ice from the well?"

"I don't need it if it's too much of a problem…" Kain said, starting to feel like he was getting way more than he deserved out of this deal.

"It's not a problem. Go put your stuff down and meet me out back." Klara said, disappearing through a door behind the desk.

"Follow me." Yuuki said, heading toward the stairs.


End file.
